1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to protective apparel. In particular, the present invention relates to multilayer protective footwear which helps reduce injury from flame, electric shock, cutting and other hazards commonly faced by emergency response personnel.
2. Description of Related Art
Safety standards for conventional firefighter footwear require that the footwear be flame and electric shock resistant, and prevent puncture of the sole region, as the footwear may be exposed to flames, sharp objects on the ground, and the hazardous combination of water and electricity.
It is known to provide protective footwear which is flame resistant. One example of such footwear includes U.S. Pat. No. 5,068,982 issued Dec. 3, 1991 to Devasthal. It is further known to provide protective footwear which can withstand sole puncture by sharp objects which may be stepped upon. An example of such footwear is U.S. Patent Publication No. US 2006/0059718 A1 published Mar. 23, 2006 and assigned to STC Footwear Inc. The prior art also includes footwear which is flame and shock resistant and can withstand sole puncture.
Safety standards for chainsaw operators, such as conventional tree harvesters, require that the vamp and leg region of the footwear be able to resist full penetration by a chainsaw running at 28 meters per second, with pressure of 30 Newtons, run until the chainsaw stops, and that the steel toe be able to resist impact to 125 joules. Prior art boots exist which meet the safety standards for chainsaw operation.
At present, emergency response personnel, for example, forest firefighters, who are required both to fight fires and to operate a chainsaw, do not have adequate protective footwear available. Ideally, they should have protective footwear which is resistant both to flame and to electric shock, which can resist toe and sole impact, and which can resist full penetration by a chainsaw running at 28 meters per second, with pressure of 30 Newtons, run until the chainsaw stops.
It is known to provide protective devices which could be used in combination with firefighter protective boots to withstand contact by an operating chainsaw blade for a limited period of time. An example of such a device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,272,822 issued Dec. 28, 1993 to Diaz. The Diaz patent, however, does not teach a unitary boot which is flame, electric shock and puncture resistant, and which can withstand contact by an operating chainsaw blade.
It is further known to provide clothing, such as pants, which are made of a material which is resistant to flame and to cutting, as in U.K. Patent Publication No. 2,397,742 published Aug. 4, 2004 and assigned to Dolmar GmbH. However, the Dolmar patent does not teach protective footwear.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to have a protective boot which is resistant to flame, electric shock, toe and sole impact, and chainsaw cutting, that is, a protective boot which meets the following firefighter standards:
National Fire Protection Association 1971 2007 edition (“NFPA 1971:2007”);
CE/EN ISO 20345-2:1996; and
CSA Omega (“CSA-Ω”);
as well as the following chainsaw operator standards:
CE/EN ISO 20345-2 SB E;
CSA Class 1/ANSI;
CE Chainsaw Class 3; and
CSA “Green Tree” Chainsaw Z195-02.
Such protective footwear is not currently available.